Anansi

An abstract game for 2 to 4 players inspired by Tibetan sand mandalas and named after a mythic spider from African folk tales.

Equipment:

• a go board
  • a uniquely colored set of 32 stones for each player
  • a deck of cards with a “web” drawn on each

(In lieu of this, you can also play with just pencils and a sheet of grid paper, but you'll still need the deck of cards.)

Each player draws a card and keeps the web pattern secret from his opponent(s). Each player takes turns placing one of his stones on the intersections of the grid (only the center 12×12 grid on the go board is used.) Your goal is to recreate the web pattern on your card by placing your stones on the board. Once a stone is placed, it cannot be moved. It is possible that the webs two players wish to create will overlap, in which case it becomes a race to see who can capture those intersections first. Points are scored based on whether the stone placed is in alignment with your web or one of your opponent's web, with more points being scored for stones that are placed in alignment with your web.

The game ends when all players have used all their stones. The winner is whoever gets the most points at the end of the game.